Related Articles

You can build your own discussions on LinkedIn by starting a LinkedIn group that other members can join or by starting a discussion in an existing group. Once you’ve set up a LinkedIn group, invite contacts to join the group to discuss professional or business topics and add relevant content. Other LinkedIn users can find the group in search results and join the group to participate in the online discussion.

Build Discussions in Existing LinkedIn Groups

1.

Log in to your LinkedIn account.

2.

Click the “Groups” link in the main navigation menu. Select “Groups Directory” from the context menu. Click on your industry in the “All Categories” pull-down menu or type a relevant keyword into the "Search Groups" input box. Review the search results to find a LinkedIn group relevant to the discussion you want to build.

3.

Click the “Join This Group” link beside the group title and description. Approval is automatic for open LinkedIn groups; for “members only” groups, LinkedIn will email you when the group’s moderator has approved your request to join. Access the group by clicking on “Groups” and then “Your Groups” from the main menu.

4.

Click the “Discussions” tab at the top of the group’s home page. Type the question, comment or statement that you want to use to build the discussion into the input box. Click the “Link or News” button to add a URL to an external website, blog or online news story. Click the “Details” button to add background information relevant to the discussion. Other LinkedIn members can now reply and add to your opening post to form a discussion thread. You can reply and add further content at any time by clicking the “Like” or “Comment” button in the discussion thread.

Build Discussions by Creating a New LinkedIn Group

1.

Click “Groups” in the main menu at the top of your LinkedIn home page. Select “Create a Group” from the context menu.

2.

Type a group name, group description and a brief summary of the description into the specified input fields. Click the “Arrow” button next to “Group Type” and then click and highlight a relevant category from the pull-down menu; for example, “Networking Group” or “Corporate Group.” Type your personal or company website URL into the input menu. Type your email address into the “Group Owner” email address field. You can also set a geographical location for the group and activate Twitter announcements by clicking the relevant check boxes.

3.

Click the “Create an Open” group button to create a group that anyone can join. Click the “Create a Members Only Group” button to create a group that requires you to approve each application to join.

4.

Go to your new group by clicking “Groups” and then “Your Groups” from the main menu. Start and build discussions by clicking the “Discussions” tab on the group home page and following the same procedure as in the previous section.

Tips

Group owners can moderate discussions by deleting inappropriate comments, inaccurate statements or spam links added by other members.

Promote discussion in your new group by asking friends, coworkers and business contacts to start new discussion topics or take part in existing group discussions.

References (1)

Resources (1)

About the Author

Adrian Grahams began writing professionally in 1989 after training as a newspaper reporter. His work has been published online and in various newspapers, including "The Cornish Times" and "The Sunday Independent." Grahams specializes in technology and communications. He holds a Bachelor of Science, postgraduate diplomas in journalism and website design and is studying for an MBA.